Academics
Contact Us:
Dean's Office
600 Linden St., 3rd Floor
570-941-7560
Exploratory Program
Mission Statement
The University of Scranton Exploratory Program is designed to help students develop a deeper awareness of their skills and abilities while utilizing campus, community and online resources to make an educated selection of an appropriate major.
What is the Exploratory Progam?
While The University of Scranton requires students to choose a major by the end of their freshman year, don’t worry! The College of Arts and Sciences provides an Exploratory program for sophomores who are not yet ready to declare.
What do I do as an Exploratory Student?
As an Exploratory Student, you will continue to take courses in majors that are interesting to you while you actively utilize all available resources to help you arrive at a decision about your major. You will be assigned an advisor in the CAS Advising Center. Your advisor will be an excellent resource for guidance and information. We can’t pick your path for you, but we can help you discover your passion. In order to assist us in this process, please complete the packet below.
How long can I be Exploratory?
You are granted one semester as an Exploratory student. By the end of the semester you should have gained acceptance into the major of your choice.
Will the courses I am using to explore majors count toward my graduation requirements?
In most cases, classes that you take to explore a major also fulfill general education requirements. For example, if you are exploring psychology, history and biology, the intro courses you take for each will fulfill your requirements in the social behavioral sciences, humanities and natural sciences, respectively.
Can I graduate on time?
The longer you wait to declare, the more unlikely it is that you will be able to graduate in four years. However, there are a lot of important factors in evaluating your progress toward graduation. Many majors have highly sequenced major requirements and structured cognates. Unless you have taken all the requirements, you may be behind. Other majors offer a lot more flexibility. Additionally, it may be possible to make up lost ground during intersession or summer. Contact your advisor to determine your options. If you wish to be proactive, you may begin completing a four year plan.
Should I be concerned about my GPA?
For most majors, a GPA of 2.0 is all that is required. However, some have more stringent requirements. For example, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 to gain acceptance into majors in the education department. Click here for a detailed list of majors and GPA requirements.
Explortory Student Checklist
Summary of Responsibilities of Advisees
- Actively involve yourself in the process of discovering a major.
- Attend all individual meetings with your academic advisor.
- Provide 24 hours notice if you need to reschedule an appointment with your advisor.
- Participate fully in the PASS Program, which means that you will keep at least 6 appointments with your Practicum Counselor.
- Use your planner to track assignments, examinations and appointments.
- Check your University of Scranton email daily.
- Utilize the additional campus resources that can help you improve your academic performance.
Responsibilities of Academic Advisors
- Actively engage in all meetings.
- Respond to all communications within 24 hours between Monday and Friday.
- Provide accurate and honest feedback and information.
- Provide 24 hours’ notice of rescheduled appointments.
- Protect confidentiality of all information discussed.
Pass Program
The PASS (Professional and Academic Support for Success program) is a support service provided to you by graduate practicum counseling students who are nearing completion of a master’s degree in counseling. You have been referred to the PASS Program because of your academic probation status. You were referred to the program through the Academic Advising Office. During the semester, you will attend individual counseling/mentoring sessions with graduate students. The graduate students will receive intensive supervision throughout this process.
Students participating in the PASS program will receive approximately 6 -12 individual sessions with a practicum counseling student. The focus will be on individual needs for remediation based on the grades, department evaluation and the initial assessment completed by the practicum counseling student.
Services may include:
To arrange for participation in PASS, please email a copy of your current fall schedule to Geri Barber at gerianne.barber@scranton.edu. You will be contacted by the end of the second week of September by the graduate student assigned to assist you. In the event you have not been contacted by Sept 14th, please email Geri Barber, Counselor Training Center Director at the above email address or contact your assigned Academic Advisor.
Copy of PASS Letter that was sent to your permanent home address
Exploratory Packet
Completed packets must be handed in by first Friday of the semester. You can drop your packet off in the CAS Advising Center (600 Linden St, 3rd floor). If you do not have access to a printer, stop by the advising center to pick up a copy.
Online Resources for Exploratory Students
Career Services
The University of Scranton office of Career services. More comprehensive online tools for career
and major information. Information about
employment outcomes of University of Scranton students.
O*NET Online
United States Department of Labor. Search by occupation or skills and learn
about tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, work values, wages, and related
occupations.
Occupational
Outlook Handbook
Includes nature of the work, training required, employment outlook, salary,
related occupations - U.S. Department of Labor
CareerZone
This site requires you to select from Holland's codes, view a list of jobs
related to these codes and follow links to more detailed information about
these jobs.
University of Scranton Undergraduate Catalog
Excellent source of
information about all majors offered at The University of Scranton. Read course descriptions and view specific
curriculum requirements.
